From hybrid media system to hybrid-media politicians: Danish politicians and their cross-media presence in the 2015 national election campaign

An increasingly complex hybrid system of social- and traditional-news media surrounds Nordic election campaigns as politically experienced incumbents favour traditional news media, and younger, lesser-known candidates’ social media. Despite little evidence for hybrid-media politicians, politicians’ media use is changing rapidly; 15%–16% of Danish candidates used Twitter in 2011 but 68% in 2015. In this large-sample content analysis, party leaders have high traditional-news-media and low Twitter presence, and younger candidates visa-versa, but some politicians have high presence in both. Hybrid-media politicians are younger than the average Danish Parliament member, represent various parties, and likely come from the greater Copenhagen area

Legitimacy, political organization, and communication

This chapter will address the question of public legitimacy in connection to thecommunication of political governed organizations (PGOs). My point of departureis that legitimacy in the public sphere is a central purpose in the communicativeeffort of any political governed organization. Overall, the paper takes aninstitutional approach to the subject and aims to clarify the institutional modesand forms PGOs are embedded in connection to the public sphere, as well as howthese forms and modes transform in the public sphere. I will not only address theinstitutional form and modes but also the agency and strategic ability to influencethe challenge of public legitimacy